Marisa, Liam, Alex and Alez prove this in a ferocious set packed with their absolute best. Two albums in and it’s remarkable how many back-to-back electrifiers they have under their belt.
Kicking off with their Saturday night set at The Grove, Newcastle with tracks from their self-titled debut, Marisa And The Moths fittingly open the night to the words, “I try to sing about the truth…” with ‘Needy’ and ‘Skin’, as they set the stage for the raw, exhilarating night ahead.
Moving onto their newest album, which is celebrating its first birthday soon, it’s obvious why ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ reached number one on the UK’s Rock and Metal charts. ‘Get It Off My Chest’ is the perfect heavy metal anthem as the Moths ignite a raging inferno of beautiful noise around Marisa’s soaring vocals.
Their recent release has been likened to a musical therapy session, and the same can be said for their shows. ‘Wither Away’ recounts Marisa’s struggle with an eating disorder and her experience is relayed in a cathartic way without crossing the ‘Borderline’ into glamorising it.
Speaking of which, Marisa soon shouts, “This next song is for the weird people!” and explains that she wrote ‘Borderline’ when she too felt weird, in a track meant to unify those who dare to be different. With an infectious chorus, Marisa’s powerhouse vocals ascend even higher than Liam and Alez’s screaming guitars; synchronising seamlessly and drawing emotion from across the room.
For the acoustic segment, everyone bar Liam leaves the stage, giving him and his guitar a moment to shine. He jokes, “the bar is just there, now is the time to get another drink” (nobody leaves, of course) before he sings a lockdown-penned country-Americana track, ‘Porch’. Its emotional, blues sound verifies the Moths’ striking flexibility and opens the door to future experimentation. Marisa finishes the stripped-down section with ‘If You Knew’, introducing the heartfelt track with an emotional speech about her dark, lonely battle with depression.
Although, parasocial relationships between musicians and fans are a given in the social media era, Marisa And The Moths seem to genuinely care, and give the impression that they’d happily let you sit and vent to them. They recognise that trauma is often shared and so create a multifaceted alt-rock show that exhilarates whilst feeling like a safe space.
Influences such as Halestorm can be heard throughout, such as on ‘Gaslight’, which is about a past, abusive relationship. Marisa says “we don’t say his name anymore” in a moment showing the unhealthy pairing is thankfully sinking further into the distant memory, reflective of the self-love weaved throughout ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’.
If she’s not playing guitar, she’s always moving, dropping to her knees and throwing fists in the air. Near the end, Marisa climbs to the stage edge for intimate yet furious cries of, “WHO ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!”.
Their live renditions are special, and the quality of the entire band is second-to-none. Whilst drummer Alex is the least visible throughout the set (he can’t exactly run across the stage with his drumkit) his rousing beats are the culprit for keeping everyone moving throughout.
With so much to offer, now is the perfect time to stay in their loop and follow Marisa And The Moths throughout this chapter and into the next. They still have a few shows left on their tour, including Oxford and London, so get your tickets now before you have to wait ‘til the next one!
Kai Palmer
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